"In 2017, I gave birth to my son-and had a midlife crisis. Things that used to work, like commuting two and a half hours to my job, just didn't add up anymore. I was constantly stressed, angry, depleted, and so tired all the time. Pumping in the Amtrak bathroom, crying that I would miss my son's bedtime because of a train delay, I wondered, Is it just me?"
"Men's time spent cooking and cleaning has stayed fixed since the 1970s. The way we parent has become much more intensive than a generation ago. Mothers in the '80s were not babywearing and pumping at work or driving to a million activities. I grew up in the '80s, and we were out riding bikes with no snacks and no water bottles-we must have been very dehydrated! The parenting game has changed."
Women face rising demands from both paid work and home responsibilities, producing persistent time pressure and exhaustion. Labor market participation has increased while household time burdens have not declined, so many women shoulder both spheres. Men's domestic time has remained essentially unchanged since the 1970s, and modern parenting norms have become far more intensive than in previous generations. Contemporary parenting often involves babywearing, pumping at work, and driving children to many structured activities, increasing logistical and emotional load. Data reveal these hidden constraints and point toward policy and workplace reforms to recover time, energy, and joy.
Read at Fast Company
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